Lessons from a 2 year old. An uncle’s perspective.
It was during the Fall of 2014, my nephew was 1 at the time. It was a moment that seems to become branded into mind and memory. I was laying on my sisters couch playing with my lil nephew, I looked up at him as he was standing on my legs, he locked eyes with me and do so with an open-mouth, kid-like smile. But something put me into an awe-like state where I had no words to describe the moment. I kept staring and then felt a wave of energy within myself. It was something in his eyes. This magical glimmer, shine and light within his eyes. He kept staring right through me with that smile and florescent glow. At the time I couldn’t put my finger on what was going on. All I did was look at my sister and say, “There’s something special about him. He’s here to do something very special in life.”
It wasn’t until later on that I became aware of what had just transpired.
My teacher. Asher.
It was the second moment in my life where I completely opened up my heart and let the energy of love flow through, each time produced the same unexplainable feeling within. As I dropped guard and became 100% in the moment, I found myself staring at his true essence within, his soul. As woo-woo as that sounds, I firmly believe that. I have no other way to explain it.
Think back to the times you may have felt that wave of energy within. I can be certain that it was during times that you let your guard down and became open to love. Few men will talk about this, just as I have not during the last 30 years of my life. I’ve been closed off to accepting it for quite some time, never understanding how to let it flow in, but I’m here to talk about it now.
I am certain that every parent can relate to that “feeling”. This open wave of energy that seems fill you up and flow through you, which you can’t begin to describe. It’s a feeling. It’s the energy of love.
At some point in our lives we begin to shut down the valve that’s in charge of the energy flow of love. Or we become very selective to the opening and closing of this valve. We do this out of protection, but like I explained, when we shut the valve to protect ourselves we block the very thing we need and desire the most, the energy flow of love. When we shut that valve to block our outflow, we also disable the ability for the energy to flow inward, to us. Which results in us feeling more secluded, sad and guarded. It becomes a vicious cycle util ultimately, we begin to feel completely alone. We feel as if nobody understands us.
If we can remain open, we can have access to the abundance of love that flows through our universe. Can you remember the times you’ve been open and accepting of it? Have you experienced anything more blissful? I remember the exact moments I opened up and let it flow inward and I’m willing to wager that you can as well. However, for some reason I have been closed and guarded against love for a great deal of my life. When we are closed and block love, we prevent love from flowing out of us and into others. When we’re in this state, we are blocking the most powerful energy in all life, love.
Love is not the only lesson my 2 year old nephew has taught me. I’ve watched him intently over these two years. I watch his curiosity for everything. I watch his imagination and love for play. I watch his display of pure presence and being 100% in each moment, free of the past and future. I watch his lack of fear and judgment as he attempts a daredevil like stunt. I watch his resilience and persistence as he fails over and over, but continues on without hesitation. I observe his “I can do anything” mentality. I watch his limitation to back-linking memories which keeps him open, curious and in a natural adventurous state. I watch how much fun he has in life as he lets out his contagious laughter over the smallest things. A toddlers laughter will immediately remind you of the magic in life. He is completely aware of the magic in life, I notice this all the time. When he’s attempting to touch everything in site with awe. When he walks up to a goat or cow that’s 100x his size, with no fear and just curiosity. The lessons are always present and in full display.
We can choose to see a child in this environment and just leave it as that, a child playing. Or we can choose to see the teacher. There are so many lessons to learn from an infant and a toddler. They are pureness. Pure essence of life before they become conditioned, shaped and contaminated by society, the environment, culture and/or parenting.
At a certain point in our lives many of us become fixed. Fixed in our ways, our beliefs, our ideals and our emotions. Life can begin to feel like groundhogs day. We loose that sense of aliveness, that wonder, that joy, that curiosity. We forget about the magic in life and within ourselves.
At what point in our life did we loose that sense of wonder and curiosity for all of life? At what point did we loose that shining light of innocence in our eyes? At what point did we stash away our dreams and forget about what really made us feel alive?
At what point did we surrender?
We all have that glimmer, shine and glow within us that can send waves of energy through others. It’s wonder and love. Which can be obtained through curiosity for all of life and becoming vulnerable by enabling love to flow within.
That unconditional flow of love, that glimmer and shine of our soul is still there, just as it was when we were an infant. We just need to open up our valve again. We need to open our hearts and let the endless energy of love flow outwards and back inward.
That innocents, that curiosity and wonder for life still lives within us. Throughout the years we’ve suppressed our innate sense of wonder due to things such as: the opinions of others, fear, conditioning from society and/or parenting, or times we’ve put ourselves out there and became vulnerable only to be hurt in the process. These are all realities, but we can not lean on these factors for the duration of our lives. We must remain open and vulnerable. We must continue to believe in the magic of life. We must keep that innocent sense of wonder for all of life.
Think back to your childhood or adolescence. When did you feel yourself begin to close off? When did you begin to feel the joy, wonder and curiosity for life fad away? When did you begin to look at life as a place and time for work versus play, adventure and discovery?
For many it’s when society begins to tell us that we must find a “good job” a “real job”…when they begin to tell us the thing that brings you pure joy, that makes you feel alive and a charge within, is horseplay. We’re told It’s time to “grow-up” and start thinking about our future. We’re told there is a difference between what’s fun, play and adventurous vs a real ‘career’ and a ‘job’.
We’re shaped and conditioned to believe this dogma, while completely dismissing what’s really important. The ability to live your life doing what you love to do. How novel of an idea. At what point as a society did we no longer deem this as life’s purpose.
Because when you exude real passion and love for what you do, you make all of life better. You’re bringing your unique being and purpose into the world. You are contributing with purpose, passion, love and intent. What’s more powerful than that?
How often do we suppress our true desires, dreams and passions in exchange for the perceived security of a job? Where we’ve lost all belief that we can, in fact, spend our life doing what we love to do. Often times we’ve suppressed our true desires and dreams so far that we’ve lost complete sense of what they actually are. We’ve become so caught up in “life”, doing what we’re suppose to be doing. And we feel as if this is: ‘just the way it is.’ At some base level we should feel a sense of passion in what we call our ‘life’s work.’ If we haven't yet found it, we must never settle. We must keep looking, trying and pursuing until we feel that fulfillment within.
Imagine yourself as a kid again. Imagine that each day you wake up with a sense of play, imagination, presence, love, wonder. and pure joy. That’s our true essence that lives with in us all. We can harness the lessons from a 2 year old and apply it to the principles of a mature adult life.
Do that and we are able to witness pure innocence and the purpose of life, before social conditioning takes hold and begins to shape and mold an individual into a nice package that is deemed acceptable by society and our culture.
One of the greatest gifts in my life has been the ability to witness the last 2 years of my nephew’s life. This gift ultimately has turned out to be one of the greatest insights and lessons of my life as well. He just turned 2 years old. How could a 2 year old teach me so much about life? I have no hesitation in saying that he has been the most powerful teacher in my life.
He’s never spoken words of wisdom or written inspiring quotes and scriptures. He’s taught me through demonstration. Demonstration of the pure essence of life itself. The foundation of life - laughter, love, wonder and play.
If you want to feel your soul again, if you want to light up your soul, if you want to feel the essence of life itself….open your heart and look into the eyes of an infant. There you will feel it. There you will see it. You.
Open up your heart, let your eyes shine and remind yourself of the magic in life and within yourself.
It’s time to live more like a kid again.
Reflection Questions:
- What did you absolutely love doing as a child? If you can’t remember, what do your parents, friends or caregivers say you were always doing?
- Do you feel like you’re just managing your life or do you feel a sense of joy, wonder, zest and passion for life? If you answered no, what can you do to GENERATE more joy, wonder and zest in your life?
- Have you closed of your heart for protection? Are you beginning to feel isolated and alone, as if others can’t understand you?
- Think of the 2 happiest and joyful moments in your life. What were you doing? Who were you with? Describe it……..
Notice your answer to the above question. Does is center around a time of love and/or when you we free of worry and felt a sense of adventure and wonder? Do more of that! Because that’s what life’s about.
Think Different - Live Different
Brian Larson
Creator of: ‘The Break Free Journey’